THE NITS/Strawberry Wood CD review

NITS

Strawberry Wood

Available NOW!

     While most secrets are better left unsaid, that is certainly NOT the case when it comes to great music.  From the dawn of recorded music, there have been many artists who barely caused a ripple when they were creating their finest works, only to be discovered and given a full reappraisal many years after they left the industry (or worse yet, left this mortal coil!). Some great artists never receive the recognition they deserve, apart from a devoted fanbase who attempt to keep the artist's name alive.

Which brings me to one of the finest 'best kept secrets' in the music business: The Nits!

The Nits (or Nits as they are now known), are a Dutch band yet have a devoted following all around the world. Sadly, they remain barely known outside of Europe.

Not only are the band still creating great music, they continue to evolve with each release.  During their first 15 years of existence, they never made the same album twice. Even the last decade and a half has seen many changes to the band's sound, but not as drastic as the first half of their career.

The band released their first independent album in 1978, followed a year later by their major label debut.  Since '79, they have remained part of the Sony family (bar one album), even having an album released in the U.S. in the mid '90s (Da Da Da). But through it all, only deeply devoted music fans outside of Europe have fallen under their spell.  Supposedly, they have a rabid following in Canada but you can certainly find small patches of them on every continent if you do a little 'net surfing.

The band has remained a trio, on and off, since 1986. Henk Hofstede and Rob Kloet have been there since the band's 1974 formation while Robert Jan Stips (formerly the leader of Supersister) joined in 1981. All three write and perform The Nits unique music, which blends intelligent Art-Rock with European Folk, '60s Pop, Classical and anything else that moves them. 

When tracing the band's musical career, comparisons to XTC usually arise.  Both bands began as quirky and eccentric New Wavey popsters, gradually transforming into intelligent, earthy and mature music makers. Comparisons end in the '90s, when XTC quietly split up while The Nits continued creating amazingly complex yet fun pop music.  Stips did leave for a brief time (two albums) but he's back and The Nits continue to amaze their fans and surprise the critics.

Their latest release is Strawberry Wood, and it's another jewel in the band's crown.

The album is quintessential Nits: gently strummed guitars, inventive arrangements, warm and atmospheric keyboards, intricate percussion and great melodies.  Stips keyboards never sound simply like keyboards: they are part of the musical tapestry that The Nits weave throughout each song. And being The Nits, comparisons are very difficult, if not impossible. There are hints of XTC, The Beatles, the Finn Brothers, Supersister and Dylan, but they sound only like The Nits

Strawberry Wood is a softer, kinder extension of 2008's Doing The Dishes. It's more pensive than playful, but that works in it's favor.  There are plenty of fun moments on Strawberry Wood, but its more of a 'thinking man's Pop' album and should be immediately embraced by those who adore smartly crafted, non-pretentious music.

Highlights on the album include 'The Hours', 'Return', 'Tannenbaum' and "Departure', but your favorites are likely to change with each listen.

The Nits have made some great records in their time and Strawberry Wood rates as one of their best!

You're welcome!
Stephen SPAZ Schnee

PREFAB SPROUT/Let's Change The World With Music review

Prefab Sprout's Let's Change The World With Music is now available!  This abandoned album from the early '90s (recorded after Jordan: The Comeback) has been gathering dust for 17 years and has finally seen the light of day!

Here is what I had to say about it on All Music Guide!

"Why on earth isn’t Paddy McAloon a legend? Honestly, he really should be a household name all around the world. From Prefab Sprout’s early ‘80s singles up through their oft-brilliant but much-maligned album The Gunman & Other Stories in 2001, Paddy has written some of the finest Pop tunes you’re likely to hear in your lifetime. If you are not familiar with the Sprouts’ output, comparisons are futile. How can you possibly describe a songwriter who is as unique as he is mysterious? Comparisons have been made with Cole Porter, Lennon & McCartney, Brian Wilson, Stephen Sondheim, Jimmy Webb, Elvis Costello and many others, but he remains a truly original and gifted singer and songwriter.

While Prefab Sprout could never be called prolific in terms of physical album releases, Paddy has continued to write and demo material throughout the band’s 20+ year career. In recent years, while less talented artists bask in the spotlight and sell boatloads of albums, our man Paddy has dealt with a series of health issues including vision and hearing problems. He’s had retinal detachments in both eyes and a severe bout with tinnitus, which has left him virtually unable to carry on as a recording artist. Thankfully, he continues to write songs that can be sung by other vocalists and perhaps, one day, he will be able to grace us with his own voice again.

Until then, we will fortunately be graced with previously unreleased Prefab Sprout music, such as Let’s Change The World With Music, the oft-rumored 1992 follow-up to the Sprouts’ Jordan: The Comeback album. While the album was never actually completed by the band, Paddy’s full-formed demo is not just a hint of what ‘might have been’: it’s one of the most consistent albums of the band’s career!

Let’s Change The World With Music is a loose concept album that that is based around the intense, often times religious, joy of music and the gift it brings to those who allow it to overcome and overwhelm them. While Paddy is not a Bible-bashing evangelist, he uses religious imagery to describe the magical power of music and how it can literally change the world. Those who choose to push music to the background in their lives may not understand where Paddy is coming from, but for those of us who have lived and breathed music since our early days, Let’s Change The World With Music is a revelation (pun intended).

From the intro of the lead-off track, “Let There Be Music”, it is immediately obvious that this will be a different Prefab experience to what most fans are used to. In the past (especially on Jordan: The Comeback), the band used keyboards to add depth and atmosphere to their tracks but Let’s Change The World... is a different ball of wax: it is ALL keyboards. As stated previously, this is Paddy’s demo version of his musical vision and does not feature backing vocalist Wendie Smith or brother Martin.. or anyone else for that matter. And to be honest, even without the other band members, it’s an absolute joy to listen to. Would it have sounded better with real strings, real drums, guitars and proper production from someone like Thomas Dolby? It’s really hard to tell, since the album is a near-perfect collection of songs that celebrate the glory of music, becoming a glorious piece of music in the process.

Some of the lyrics on the album may seem a bit twee and trite on the surface (particularly on “Music Is A Princess”), but in the context of the album, they become touching and heartwarming. Like all Prefab albums, there are moments of absolute joy on display mixed with an equal amount of bittersweet and touching songs that reach right down and stir your soul. Highlights include “Ride”, “Earth, The Story So Far”, “Last Of The Great Romantics”, “Angel Of Love” and the title track.

For the uninitiated, the Prefab Sprout albums to investigate first would certainly be Steve McQueen and Jordan: The Comeback, but Let’s Change The World With Music isn’t far behind. It is a beautiful, joyful and unpretentious musical love letter written to and about this life-changing force we call music. Let it make your heart sing!"

Let's change the world with music blogs,

Stephen SPAZ Schnee

New STOCK, AITKEN & WATERMAN reissues on the CHERRY POP label!

PRINCESS, LONNIE GORDON and MANDY SMITH:

The SPECIAL EDITIONS

CHERRY POP RECORDS releases three of the most in-demand titles from the STOCK, AITKEN & WATERMAN vaults!

So, who are STOCK, AITKEN & WATERMAN and why should you already know those names?

Well, because those three gentlemen (Mike Stock, Matt Aitken and Pete Waterman) were the most popular production team (and songwriters) during the latter part of the '80s and early part of the '90s. They had an incredible run of hits, including 100 Top 40 chartbusters! In fact, their partnership remains one of the most successful in all of music history!

Still not clicking with you? Well, perhaps you know some of these songs? The SAW team either produced or wrote (or both) these worldwide hits:

DEAD OR ALIVE/You Spin Me Round (Like A Record)
BANANARAMA/Venus
RICK ASTLEY/Never Gonna Give You Up
KYLIE MINOGUE/I Should Be So Lucky
SAMANTHA FOX/Touch Me (I Want Your Body)
DONNA SUMMER/This Time I Know It's For Real

There are tons more tracks I could list, but I'm sure you'll be familiar with those, right?. If you never really linked the songs together before in your head, I'm sure it might make some sense to you now? That incessant rhythm, those infections melodies... the SAW production team had a way of making even the most banal song entertaining (not saying any of the above songs are banal... far from it!). When the three head honchos were too busy, they also had great producers like Pete Hammond, Phil Harding and Ian Curnow working alongside them in their PWL studios.

(Believe it or not, SAW actually produced three tracks for Judas Priest some 20 years ago, which remain unreleased to this day. If you thought this was a rumor, think again: I asked Rob Halford about it and he confirmed that it was true and perhaps, one day, the public will hear the results!)

The Stock, Aitken & Waterman sound and style was like an '80s version of Motown: great, catchy tunes and an array of vocalists moving through their Hit Factory offices like a human production line. Add in a bit of Nile Rodgers & Bernard Edwards' Disco flair and Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis smooth R&B grooves and the PWL/SAW sound was familiar yet unique. Staunch music critics frowned upon the very idea of SAW, but Pop and Dance music lovers (ie: the consumer) ate it up like it was food from the Gods.

So, after that semi-brief history on the production team, let's concentrate on today's delicious three course meal, direct from the Stock, Aitken & Waterman kitchen! These three releases come courtesy of of of UK label CHERRY RED's latest imprints, CHERRY POP.


So, let's start with the appetizer:

PRINCESS-"Princess (Special Edition)"
PRINCESS was a session singer who came in to lay down some vocals for SAW tracks that they intended to shop around to various artists. She essentially made "Say I'm Your Number One" her own and SAW, while hesitant at first, released her version... and the rest is history! With this enormous hit under their belts, they started work on more tracks together. This, her 1986 debut album, was the result. More hits followed, including "After The Love Has Gone", "I'll Keep On Loving You" and "In The Heat Of A Passionate Moment". While an R&B album at it's core, this full length had an extremely tasteful Pop production, adding to it's crossover appeal. While the original album featured only eight tracks, every one of them is a treat with absolutely no filler. Thankfully, the fine folks at Cherry Pop have added an additional seven tracks including remixes PLUS Princess' original demo of "Say I'm Your Number One', the track that started it all! This digitally remastered and expanded editions is available and is worth your time and attention.



Moving on to the main course:

LONNIE GORDON-"If I Have To Stand Alone (Special Edition)"

With some great R&B/Soul/Dance session work already under her belt, Philadelphia-born vocalist Lonnie Gordon made her way to the UK in the late '80s, eventually finding herself snug in the welcoming arms of the SAW/PWL corporation. While releasing a slew of singles that should have dominated the upper reaches of the Top Ten, Lonnie's SAW career didn't pan out as well as many expected. While she is best remembered for the hit single 'Happenin' All Over Again", none of her other singles made as much of an impact and this album was only released in Europe, Japan and Australia. To be honest, it's truly hard to understand why she didn't chalk up more hits and become a worldwide Dance music sensation! Lonnie's voice was (and still is) a big, booming and beautiful thing. Like Donna Summer, Freda Payne and Gloria Gaynor all rolled into one, Lonnie had the chops and the charm to become a superstar. The album itself is one of the most consistent full-length albums in the SAW catalog, filled with great Dance/Pop and fully deserving of the Special Edition treatment it receives here. Not only do you get the original 10 track album, there are seven bonus tracks added featuring great mixes PLUS the amazing "How Could He Do This To Me?", one of SAW's finest moments that was initially scrapped and remained in the vaults for many years. Full of flavor and depth, this is a tasteful and filling meal for the body and soul.



And now, for dessert:

MANDY SMITH: Mandy (Special Edition)
MANDY was the self-titled 1988 album from the British teenage model and gossip column favorite MANDY SMITH (who was married at the age of 13 to Rolling Stones' bassist Billy Wyman, who was 47 at the time!). Like SAMANTHA FOX before her, Mandy's beauty and notoriety made her the perfect vehicle for SAW's Pop tunes: the public were so fascinated by her anyway, she was bound to shift a few units just out of the curiosity factor. Her singing career under the PWL banner began when she was 16 and ended just three years later, but there is enough tasty treats left behind to satisfy your sweet and fluffy cravings. This album features her hit singles, some nice album tracks and, on this Special Edition, eight bonus cuts that includes remixes and non-album tracks. Highpoints include "Boys & Girls", "Positive Reaction", the Giorgio Moroder-inspired "My Boy" and her 1989 recording of Human League's "Don't You Want Me" (retitled "Don't You Want Me Baby?" with slightly altered lyrics). While a few tracks veer unconvincingly towards a straight Pop sound ("Victim Of Pleasure" sounds like a weak Stacey Q impression), it's the light-hearted Dance tracks that end up working the best. Though not as soulful as Princess and Lonnie Gordon, Mandy Smith's Dance/Pop is light, tasty and the perfect ear candy to top of this delicious SAW meal.

Needless to say, these albums are unpretentious and fun, the perfect antidote to the dreary and drab news that we hear each and every day on TV and the internet. Add a little fun and sun to your life with Cherry Pop's latest offerings!

Peace, love and pancakes,
Stephen SPAZ Schnee

TIM FINN-"The Conversation" Review

TIM FINN-"The Conversation" Review

For nearly 30 years, Tim Finn has been my second favorite vocalist of all time...just a few notches down from Elvis Presley. Hell, I skipped my high school senior prom in '82 just to go see Tim's old band, Split Enz, perform at the Hollywood Palladium (ah, the memories!). So, for me, a new Tim Finn album is always a call for celebration. While I've loved most of his solo work, it's really hard to compare it to the collaborative essence of Split Enz, so I never do. I don't even bother judging it against his other projects like Crowded House, the Finn Brothers or ALT. I look at each album as it's own entity and accept it for what it is: a Tim Finn solo album.

So, with that being said, I was floored by his 2006 effort, Imaginary Kingdom. I felt that IK was even better than his solo debut, Escapade, which I didn't think he'd ever top. This is not to say that his other solo releases haven't been good. I think that a listener attaches themselves to a certain record like an old barnacle and hangs on for dear life. When I heard Imaginary Kingdom, I felt that he had released his best solo work to date and I had found a new home to lay my weary head.

The Conversation, his 2008 release, has found me packing my bags and moving to a new resting spot: Finn has taken the best elements of his songwriting skills, scaled back the production and presented an album so rich with melody that no economic crisis could penetrate this wealthy platter of song. This is by far the best album of the year...and that's no easy feat since 2008 has had some really great releases. It's also the best album in his 25 year solo journey.

The album is warm, comforting and personal but while Tim sings of HIS life, it can often mirror the feelings and thoughts of the listener, creating a virtual 'conversation' between the performer and the audience. While the album's title refers to the interaction of the different musicians playing together, it becomes much more than that when experienced in the comfort of your own home. Former Enz members Miles Golding (violin) and Eddie Rayner (piano) join Tim on this journey and their familiarity with Tim's music allows them to add a personal flavor to this rich stew of haunting melodies. Tim's voice is superb throughout, sounding like a man who has found peace in who he is and is comfortable in his own skin. While 'Out Of This World' is the lead single, there are many other inviting moments that will reach out to anyone looking for a singer/songwriter who offers more than just a new face in an overcrowded market: 'Rear View Mirror', 'The Saw And The Tree', 'Forever Thursday' (which could be a distant cousin of his classic 'Through The Years'), 'Straw To Gold' and more. On the first spin of the album, you'll find some magical moments but the album truly reveals itself with each additional listen and you'll soon find yourself joining in on this Conversation.

So, after 30 years, I'm still a dedicated fan with much respect for the man and his abilities. Tim Finn may be an ordinary man but he has extraordinary talents.